Ohio's Libertarian Party Regains Its "Minor Party" Status

The Libertarian Party of Ohio has officially regained “minor party” status in the state.

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Secretary of State Jon Husted says the Libertarians submitted over 60,000 valid signatures….more than they needed to get their party’s designation on the ballot with its candidates. The party lost that status in 2014 when lawmakers changed the rules to make it harder for minor parties to appear before voters – opponents say they did that to help boost John Kasich’s chances of re-election. The Libertarian candidate for governor that year was disqualified from running because of invalid petitions. To keep the party’s status for the 2020 presidential election, Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Travis Irvine will need to get three percent of the statewide vote this November.

Wednesday at 4pm is the deadline for submitting petition signatures for independent presidential candidates for the fall ballot in Ohio. The Libertarian Party of Ohio submitted their ticket's paperwork yesterday. But the party is using an unusual strategy to do that.